Ne confondez pas le prix avec la valeur de la chose, Monsieur Wenger

I’d like to make point that I hope is not lost on the board and manager. Players like Flamini, Hleb, Adebayor and even Fabregas might not have their heads turned so readily if the Club showed more commitment to achieving success. Part of this involves paying top players what they’re worth. We don’t want to see half the team on contracts in excess of £100,000-a-week, but you do need to pay key players close to what they would receive elsewhere otherwise you risk losing them. Another way for a club to announce its ambition is to sign top-draw players.

Many reasons have been given for Arsenal’s end of season capitulation: bad luck, injuries , inexperience, limited resources… The truth is, no single factor was to blame.The reason we failed to gain silverware this season was due to our inconsistency, you cannot say we dont have a talented squad because when our players do perform, they perform at a great standard, but its getting them to perform consistently which has been a key factor to us being trophy-less. There is cause for optimism. The team has sparkled enough to indicate the makings of something special, and, if the manager can strengthen with a few choice additions, a vintage year could be just around the corner.

What is absolutely essential, however, is that the manager keeps hold of his best players. To lose key men at a time when the team clearly needs strengthening would be absolutely criminal – suicidal when you think that our main rivals are likely to spend lavishly once more. The persistent news reports suggesting Fabregas may be off in the summer are thus extremely unsettling. Even if the manager can buy players with the potential to better than the ones he is losing, it is unlikely they will be able to adapt quickly enough to make next season a victorious one.